WHEN Craig Benson lines up at the Commonwealth Games in April, one of his greatest rivals for silverware is likely to be someone who he knows inside out - his University of Stirling training partner Ross Murdoch.

While that would make for an uncomfortable atmosphere for some, Benson is delighted he is in such close proximity to Murdoch, who will be defending his 200m breaststroke title in April.

“It’s quite a strange thing – the person that you’re going to try and beat at the Commonwealth Games is next to you in training every single day, doing same sessions,” said the 23-year-old who was named in Team Scotland for Gold Coast 2018 in October. “But that means we both need to be on the top of our game and it gets that extra few percent out of every session. And we bounce off each other and so if Ross tries something and it seems to work well, I’ll try it to see if it works for me too. So we have more minds trying to find the best way rather than just one – it’s like getting insider tips all of the time.”

Benson will be seeing even more of Murdoch next weekend when the pair both line up at the Scottish National Short-Course Championships, which run from Friday to Sunday at Edinburgh’s Royal Commonwealth Pool. Benson is in the midst of a block of hard training and while he isn’t expecting to swim any personal bests next weekend, the event will provide a perfect marker of how his winter training is progressing.

“I’m excited about it - I’ve been competing at this Championships every year apart from one since I was about 12 and I always enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a chance to test where you’re at and it will be good to see how the last few months of training have been going. This period has been about setting myself up to be able to put in a really good block of training after Christmas. That’s when a lot of the power work will come in so that I make sure I’ll be swimming fast coming into the Commonwealth Games.”

Benson has already accumulated a wealth of experience. Gold Coast 2018 will be his second Commonwealth Games after appearing at Glasgow 2014, while he has also competed in two Olympic Games. That experience has not dulled his enthusiasm for the multi-sport Games but having been there and done it means he knows exactly what to expect as he approaches the last few months of preparation.

“I can’t believe how quickly these Commonwealths have come round, it seems like Glasgow 2014 was no time ago at all,” he said. “That’s a good thing though, because I’ve been excited about it for so long. It’s a bit like waiting for Christmas - you just want to get going because it’s going to be amazing.

“In terms of experience at the major meets, I don’t think it makes too much of a difference when you actually get there but it’s in the build-up that it can make a real difference. I’ve come to learn that that is just the preparation phase for the major championship and it’s making sure that I’m working on the right things rather than focusing on the times I’m seeing on the board at the moment.

“I used to worry about times but experience has shown me that’s not the thing to focus on - it’s about having confidence in what you are doing and making sure that you concentrate more on the process rather than times at this time of year.”

Benson has been part of the lauded University of Stirling swim squad for three years having moved from Edinburgh-based Warrender in the aftermath of Glasgow 2014. As well as Murdoch, Benson’s clubmates include Olympic relay medallist Duncan Scott and GB internationalist Kathleen Dawson, with the move taking Benson to another level in his swimming. He combines an accountancy and finance degree with his training and competition programme which, he admits, can be tough but the level of talent in the squad makes it, he believes, the perfect place for him to ensure he continues to improve.

“What’s so great is seeing so many people performing at the highest level, it’s just so inspiring,” he said. “You see others do well and think - I’ve done the same training as them so why shouldn’t I do what they’re doing? It’s like a snowball effect. Everyone expects such a high standard and no one in the squad is scared of calling you out if you’re not working hard so you need to be on it every single day and that’s a great environment to be in."